Vine Quick Reads: 31 October 2025

Vine Quick Reads: 31 October 2025

Welcome to our Quick Reads format. Each week we share selected news bites relevant to family violence and sexual violence in Aotearoa.

Submission open for Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill

Public submissions on the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill are now open. The bill creates a legal framework for the provision of redress to survivors of abuse in State care and also intends to:

• establish the legal presumption that serious violent and sexual offenders are not eligible for financial redress under a redress scheme
• establish offences (and penalties) for failing to disclose criminal convictions that would make an applicant ineligible for financial redress under a redress scheme; and
• provide legal protections for core State agencies when making apologies for abuse in State care.

The full Bill can be read online, here. For more, see media coverage from Te Ao Māori News and RNZ. Submissions close 26 November 2025.

New Netsafe resource on AI social companions

Netsafe has published an overview of AI social companions. AI social companions are chatbot-based apps, websites, or services designed to mimic human conversation. Netsafe’s overview covers:

• what an AI social companion is
• the appeal of AI social companions
• the risks of AI social companions
• how young people can be kept safe in their interactions with AI social companions.

If you have further questions or are worried by someone’s use of AI social companions, contact Netsafe.

New Crown Law resource: Victims’ Guide to Appeals

Te Tari Ture o te Karauna | Crown Law has published Victims’ Guide to Appeals. This resource provides information on what an appeal is, outlines the appeals process from notice of appeal to the final decision, and provides information on making complaints. The resource also includes a visual map of the process.

More information can be found on Victims Info, here.

Call for input on the definitions of “terrorism”, “terrorist organisation” and “violent extremism”

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights has issued a call for inputs on a best practice international definition of “terrorism”, revising and updating the 2010 model definition. It also calls for input on the need to define a "terrorist organisation" and the implications and limits of defining "violent extremism". Key questions to guide responses and more information on making a submission can be found at the link above.

Submissions are due by 1 December 2025.

Call for input on thematic report on violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women

The United Nations Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity has issued a call for input for their thematic report on violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women. The report aims to understand the distinct and intersecting forms of violence and discrimination that LBQ women face globally. It would like to hear directly from LBQ women, their organisations, and allies about the realities they face. Key questions to guide responses and more information on making a submission can be found at the link above.

Submissions are due by 15 January 2026.